List Of Deleted Scenes in "Ring (1998)"
WARNING: Spoiler Content! The original published script for the Ring contained several scenes that never made it into the film. List Of Deleted Scenes Television Station The conversation between Asakawa and Komiya the cameraman ends with Asakawa announcing that she will take the tape of that day's footage home in order to look it over. Tomoko's Wake Following the conversation with her aunt, Asakawa gazes over at the coffin of the late Tomoko, remembering her aunt's words: "They haven't once opened the casket to let us see the body. Don't you think that's strange?" Asakawa suddenly comes to, and notices that Yoichi is missing. She calls out to her father concernedly. ASAKAWA: Where's Yoichi? KOICHI: Huh. He was here just a second ago... Television Station 2 Asakawa stands looking up at a SHELF that holds row after row of VIDEOTAPES containing news footage. Suddenly from the doorway comes a SHADOW in the shape of a man. The shadow belongs to YOSHINO, a senior reporter. YOSHINO Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting. Yoshino walks to the shelf, scans its contents. YOSHINO (cont'd) Let's see... Ah, here we are. He reaches out and takes hold of one of the tapes. YOSHINO (cont'd) I happened to be out in that area when we first got word. The footage never made it on the air, though. ASAKAWA Why not? Yoshino pauses a beat. YOSHINO You'll understand when you see it. Oishi Household Asakawa arrives at the house of her sister Ryomi. When Asakawa begins walking up toward Tomoko's room, there was originally a flashback to a younger Yoichi and Tomoko running down the hallway laughing, with a stern-faced Asakawa peering around the corner telling them to cut it out. The laughter, by the way, actually remains in the finished print -- if you turn up the volume, you can faintly hear it in the background. The Rental Cottages In the movie Asakawa opens the unlocked door and walks in, while the script makes reference to her opening the door with a key that she has somehow obtained. Asakawa's Apartment The lights are off. In the darkness we can see Yoichi curled up in a ball, having fallen asleep waiting for his mother to come home. The DOOR opens now, and Asakawa creeps quietly in. She drops to her knees beside her son, face despondent as she regards him intensely. She reaches out and strokes his hair. ASAKAWA I'm so sorry... INT. ASAKAWA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Asakawa sits, TELEPHONE in hand. ASAKAWA Ryuji? Look... Would you meet with me tomorrow? It's important. In the background, the sound of approaching thunder RUMBLES menacingly. University Scene A number of STUDENTS are at their desks, glancing up at the CHALKBOARD and hurriedly taking down notes. The class, devoid of podium, echoes with the SOUND of chalk furiously scratching out equations. Sitting amongst the students is Takayama Ryuji, his eyes focused on the chalkboard. Behind him sits a pretty young student, TAKANO MAI, who looks up to sneak the occasional, furtive glance over at her teacher. Ryuji suddenly rises to his feet, chuckling. RYUJI OK, OK. Stop. He begins walking towards the blackboard. RYUJI With this equation, we'll just have "0" extending on into infinity. A few CHUCKLES arise from the audience. The STUDENT at the chalkboard ceases writing, looks down shamefacedly. RYUJI Hang on a minute, though. Ryuji halts before the chalkboard, gleaning possibility. He makes a small adjustment to the equation. RYUJI There now. The students in the room sit at attention, taking notes in earnest as Ryuji begins scratching out an elaborate string of equations. Of the students only Mai sits motionless, regarding Ryuji intently. Asakawa Apartment 2 EXT. ASAKAWA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Asakawa emerges from her CAR, looking tired. She drags herself up the stairs to her apartment. INT. ASAKAWA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Asakawa walks in, immediately assailed by NOISE. Though no one is in the room the TV has been left on, volume up at full blast. Asakawa, frowning,leans over to turn the TV off. She turns, calling her son's name concernedly. ASAKAWA Yoichi? Asakawa takes a few steps. She sees Yoichi seated on the floor in the next room, absorbed in play. A multitude of TRUCKS and other small toys cover the floor of the room. Asakawa walks towards her son. ASAKAWA Was someone here? YOICHI (Distractedly) Nope. Asakawa leans over, begins picking up some of the toys. ASAKAWA You shouldn't just leave your things lying all over the place, Yoichi. Have you eaten yet? YOICHI I'm not hungry. Asakawa straightens, her face angry. ASAKAWA Is it too much to ask that you take care of things when I'm not around? I don't exactly have a lot of free time, in case you haven't noticed! Yoichi looks up, startled at his mother's anger. Wordlessly he stands, begins straightening up the room. Asakawa, her face a mixture of anger and regret, turns her back and makes for the kitchen. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Yoichi is sound asleep in his futon. Asakawa stands in the doorway, eyes fixed intently on her son. She enters the room and slides into bed next to him, arm around him protectively. She shuts her eyes only briefly, and soon they are again open and staring wide and unblinking into the darkness. Oshima Island Upon hearing Ryuji's explanation of why Yamamura Shizuko killed herself, Hayatsu pipes up that the only one knowledgeable on the history of the Yamamuras is Shizuko's cousin, Yamamura Takashi...and that he is hardly the talkative type. Yamamura Villa Kazue the inkeeper hands Ryuji a faded photograph of Shizuko and Professor Ikuma, followed by this exchange: RYUJI: What does Mr. Yamamura usually do in the mornings? KAZUE: Mornings? He always goes for a walk along the beach... RYUJI: Thanks. The Demonstration This scene is slightly different from the scene as it appears in the film, beginning with the epithets that are being hurled. "We didn't come here to see trickery!" shouts one reporter. "You're being fooled, Professor!" shouts another. "Either that, or you're in on this whole charade." Also, Shizuko's line when the young Sadako makes her appearance is rather more ambiguous: instead of asking "Sadako! Was it you?!" Shizuko merely cries, "Sadako! Sadako!" Ryuji's Apartment Ryuji is busy scribbling away at his notes again. His hand suddenly ceases, cheeks draining of color as the faintest of sounds reaches his ears and fills him with dread. No. Just then his hand jerks into life, moving with a will of its own. Ryuji watches, shocked, as a series of jagged, spiky letters forms on the page. H... E... L... L... When the hand finally ceases writing, Ryuji sits a moment in stunned silence. He then spins around to face the TELEVISION SET, where the last scene from the videotape -- the shot of the well -- has appeared onscreen. Outside his Apartment Asakawa arrives in time to see a squad car pull up, and the covered form of a body being hauled away. She races forward, breaking free of those that would stop her and rushing up toward the cadaver. She yanks the sheet back...and stands, rooted to the spot. The face of Takayama Ryuji is staring back at her. The Hallway of his Apartment Mai is there, slumped against one wall. Asakawa comes running up, dropping to her knees and grasping Mai by the shoulders. ASAKAWA What happened? Mai shakes her head dreamily. MAI When I got here he was just lying there... ASAKAWA Did he say anything to you? About a videotape? Mai shakes her head again, shakes it harder until the breath catches in her throat. MAI His face... Mai falls into silence, curls up on herself. Asakawa leaves her, begins walking towards the door to Ryuji's apartment when Mai suddenly pipes up from behind. MAI (cont'd) He never even tried to touch me, you know. Not once. Asakawa turns back around to face her. MAI (cont'd) He said, it was because he could see inside people's hearts... Asakawa pauses, feeling herself becoming overwhelmed with guilt. With an effort she shakes it off. There is work yet left to do. She heads toward the door to Ryuji's apartment, where a GUARD posted at its entrance has already moved to intercept her. ASAKAWA (determinedly) I'm his wife! She muscles her way past the guard and through the front door to Ryuji's apartment. The Inside The front DOOR opens wildly, noisily forward. Asakawa comes rushing in, eyes darting about the apartment. She thinks frantically to herself. ASAKAWA (VO) Ryuji... Why? Does this mean that Yoichi will die, too? Is the curse not broken yet? Why am I the only one saved? Asakawa's gaze falls to the desk, taking in the stack of looseleaf papers atop its surface. Ryuji's thesis. She suddenly stops dead in her tracks, eyes fixed on one sheet in particular. Scribbled on its surface in large, spidery letters is the message: HELL IS REAL She continues to stare at that message, feeling her body ripple with an involuntary shudder. Asakawa turns away. And finds herself face to face with Ryuji's television set. The set has been turned off, but its presence hangs heavy, ominous somehow. Asakawa suddenly dives forward, pressing the eject button on the VCR. Sure enough, the TAPE is still in the deck. She takes the tape and leaves. Certainly The identity of the figure with the towel over its head is revealed in the original script. In the scene where Asakawa returns to her apartment, she looks up to find this person standing half-hidden in the shadows, "its clothes the same as those last worn by Ryuji" (screenplay, p. 141). She even addresses this figure by name, crying out "Ryuji!" Category:Media